The fate of time-reversal symmetry breaking in UTe2

Abstract

Topological superconductivity is a long-sought state of matter in bulk materials, and odd-parity superconductor UTe${}_2$ is a prime candidate. The recent observation of a field-trainable spontaneous Kerr signal in UTe${}_2$ at the onset of superconductivity provides strong evidence that the superconducting order parameter is multicomponent and breaks time-reversal symmetry. Here, we perform Kerr effect measurements on a number of UTe${}_2$ samples -- grown $via$ both chemical vapor transport and the molten-salt-flux methods -- that show a single superconducting transition between 1.6~K and 2.1~K. Our results show no evidence for a spontaneous Kerr signal in zero field measurements. This implies that the superconducting state of UTe${}_2$ does not intrinsically break time-reversal symmetry. Instead, we observe a field-trainable signal that varies in magnitude between samples and between different locations on a single sample, which is a sign of inhomogeneous magnetic regions. Our results provide an examination of representative UTe${}_2$ samples and place strong constraints on the superconducting order parameter of UTe${}_2$.

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Cited by in corpus (30)

• A review of UTe${}_2$ at high magnetic fields
• Absence of Spontaneous Magnetic Fields Due to Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in Bulk Superconducting UTe2
• Molten Salt Flux Liquid Transport Method for Ultra Clean Single Crystals UTe2
• Spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking by disorder in superconductors
• Pairing symmetries of multiple superconducting phases in UTe2: Competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic fluctuations
• Pair Wavefunction Symmetry in UTe2 from Zero-Energy Surface State Visualization
• Thermodynamic transitions and topology of spin-triplet superconductivity: Application to UTe${}_2$
• c axis electrical transport at the metamagnetic transition in the heavy-fermion superconductor UTe2 under pressure
• Anisotropic field-induced changes in the superconducting order parameter of UTe2
• Absence of a bulk charge density wave signature in x-ray measurements of UTe${}_2$
• Anisotropic paramagnetic response of topological Majorana surface states in the superconductor ${\text{UTe}}_2$
• Spectroscopic evidence of symmetry breaking in the superconducting vortices of UTe2
• Nodal superconducting gap structure and topological surface states of UTe${}_2$
• Observation of Persistent Zero Modes and Superconducting Vortex Doublets in UTe${}_2$
• Hydrostatic pressure studies on non-superconducting UTe2
• Pair-Kondo effect: a mechanism for time-reversal broken superconductivity in UTe${}_2$
• Quasiparticle interference and spectral function of the UTe${}_2$ superconductive surface band
• Modified Martin-Puplett interferometer for magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements at sub-THz frequencies
• Self-reconstruction of order parameter in spin-triplet superconductor UTe${}_2$
• Magnetic signatures of pressure-induced multicomponent superconductivity in UTe${}_2$
• Thermal conductivity of nonunitary triplet superconductors: application to UTe${}_2$
• Majorana multipole response with magnetic point group symmetry
• Higher-order topological phases for time-reversal-symmetry breaking superconductivity in UTe${}_2$
• Magnetic edge fields in UTe${}_2$ near zero background fields
• Nodal Superconductivity of UTe${}_2$ Probed by Field-Angle-Resolved Specific Heat on a Crystal with $T_{\mathrm{c}}=2.1$ K
• Multiple phases in K2Cr3As3: a playground for manipulating topological superconductivity
• Revealing isotropic abundant low-energy excitations in UTe${}_2$ through complex microwave surface impedance
• Signature of chiral superconducting order parameter evidenced in mesoscopic superconductors
• Quasiparticle Interference of Spin-Triplet Superconductors: Application to UTe${}_2$
• Inherent electro-optic Kerr rotation